1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of commercial play structures and, in particular, to water slide play structures.
2. Description of the Related Art
The popularity of family-oriented theme parks and commercial recreational facilities has increased steadily in the last decade. Water parks, in particular, have proliferated as adults and children alike seek the thrill and entertainment of water attractions as a healthy and enjoyable way to cool off in the hot summer months.
Water parks typically incorporate a variety of different water attractions. One of the most popular water attractions is the water slide. Commercial water slides typically include a riding surface and a plurality of water outlets at the upper entrance portion thereof for admitting water directly onto the riding surface. The water on the riding surface provides a lubricant, reducing friction between the ride participant and the riding surface. Additional water outlets may be interspersed at intervals along the length of the slide, as desired, to provide additional lubricant and/or to accelerate or decelerate the ride participant, as desired. The pull of gravity and/or water acceleration propels the ride participant from one end of the slide to the other. The ride participant typically exits the ride at the end by splashing into a receiving pool.
A climbing structure or stairway is typically provided adjacent the slide to enable ride participants to ascend to the entrance of the slide, usually the uppermost portion. Typically, only one person at a time is able to slide down the slide; others are either climbing the stairs to the top and/or waiting in an adjacent queuing area for their turn to ride down the water slide. Due to the popularity of these rides, queuing areas often extend down the climbing structure and participants may be forced to wait up to 20 minutes or more for their turn to slide down the riding surface. The extended waiting time is a common complaint among ride participants since the ride itself only lasts less than about a minute.
To help alleviate these problems and to create a more exciting water slide experience my U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,197 first disclosed the concept of a participatory water slide play structure in which various water forming devices are positioned over the slide for expelling water onto play participants as they slide down the slide. The devices are arranged such that they can be actuated by the play participants waiting in line or ascending the adjacent climbing structure. It was found that by providing activities for persons waiting in line, their attention was diverted from the tiresome wait and they were able to enjoy and even look forward to their turn in line.
While this generally improved the morale of those play participants waiting in line, the slide experience itself remained largely xe2x80x9cpassivexe2x80x9dxe2x80x94that is, the play participants sliding down the slide (sometimes referred to herein as xe2x80x9cride participantsxe2x80x9d) could not interact with the ride or other play participants once they began their descent down the riding surface. As a result, these ride participants often became the passive xe2x80x9cvictimsxe2x80x9d of other play participants controlling the various water forming elements. The slide experience for many of these ride participants often became a hapless ride through a gauntlet of water sprays, jets and water falls with no means to avoid being targeted or to fight back.
The present invention expands and improves on my earlier concepts by giving ride participants the ability to xe2x80x9cfight backxe2x80x9d or interact with the slide and/or other play participants in a fun and educational way. Among other things the present invention enables ride participants to take an active role in creating various desired play effects and/or interacting with other play participants or persons waiting in line. The result is a more enjoyable experience for both the play participants sliding down the slide and those waiting in line.
To achieve these and other objects and advantages, the present invention, in one embodiment, provides a number of uniquely adapted sensor/actuator devices which can be actuated by play participants sliding down the slide to activate one or more associated play effects, such as various water forming devices. Such sensor/actuator devices may include, for example, non-contact sensors such as photo sensors or light beam sensors (e.g., visible light, ultra-violet and infra-red beams), audio sensors (e.g., clap detectors or ultrasonic sensors), field sensors (e.g., tag devices), target sensors (e.g., watergun targets, foam ball targets, flying disk targets, baskets), and contact sensors (e.g., trip wires, weight sensors, flipper triggers, and direct contact targets).
In accordance with another embodiment, the present invention provides a slide play structure comprising a riding surface upon which play participants can slide, one or more play elements, such as water forming elements, for creating desired effects and/or for attaining a desired goal, and one or more sensor/actuators disposed on or adjacent the riding surface for actuating one or more of the play effects as the play participants slide along the riding surface.
In accordance with another embodiment, the present invention provides a participatory water slide play structure comprising a riding surface upon which a first group of one or more play participants can slide from a entrance point to an exit point, a support structure disposed adjacent the riding surface adapted to support a second group of one or more play participants, the support structure being sized and configured such that the second group of play participants can view the first group of play participants as they slide along the riding surface, and one or more water forming elements, such as spray nozzles, adapted to be actuated by the first group of play participants as they slide along the riding surface for creating desired water effects and/or for spraying water onto the second group of play participants whereby the first group of play participants can actively engage in various participatory activities as they slide along the riding surface.
In accordance with another embodiment, the present invention provides a two-way participatory water slide play structure comprising a riding surface upon which a first group of one or more play participants can slide from a entrance point to an exit point, a support structure disposed adjacent the riding surface adapted to support a second group of one or more play participants, the support structure being sized and configured such that the second group of play participants can view the first group of play participants as they slide along the riding surface, one or more first water forming elements adapted to be actuated by the first group of play participants as they slide along the riding surface for creating desired water effects and/or for spraying water onto the second group of play participants, and one or more second water forming elements adapted to be actuated by the second group of play participants for creating desired water effects and/or for spraying water onto the first group of play participants as they slide along the riding surface whereby the first and second groups of play participants can interact with one another by actuating the various water forming elements disposed in, on or around the water slide play structure.
In accordance with another embodiment, the present invention provides a participatory water slide play structure comprising a riding surface upon which play participants can slide, one or more water forming elements, such as spray nozzles or water guns, for creating desired water effects and/or for spraying water onto other play participants, and one or more sensor/actuator devices disposed on or adjacent the riding surface for activating one or more of the water effects as the play participants slide along the riding surface.
In accordance with another embodiment, the present invention provides an actuator for allowing play participants sliding along a riding surface to selectively actuate one or more associated effects, comprising a sensor/actuator device, such as a contact actuator, adapted to be actuated by a play participant sliding along the riding surface, the sensor/actuator being adapted, when actuated, to generate an actuating signal, and means for receiving the actuating signal to control one or more associated effects whereby the actuator enables play participants to actively engage in various participatory activities as they slide along the riding surface.
For purposes of summarizing the invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, certain objects and advantages of the invention have been described herein above. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such objects or advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.
All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention herein disclosed. These and other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments having reference to the attached figures, the invention not being limited to any particular preferred embodiment(s) disclosed.